Psychiatric News (5/3) reports, “Black and Hispanic veterans are more likely to be given a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (AUD) than white veterans despite similar levels of alcohol consumption,” investigators concluded after examining “the association between levels of alcohol consumption and diagnoses of AUD among 700,012 veterans enrolled in the Million Veteran Program, a longitudinal cohort study that began enrolling veterans in 2011.” The study revealed that “the racial discrepancy in diagnosis was evident for both men and women but was greatest for Black men who in some cases had a greater than 100% chance of having a diagnosis of AUD than white male veterans.” The findings were published online May 3 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Black, Hispanic Veterans More Likely Than Whites to Have AUD Diagnosis Despite Similar Drinking, Psychiatric News , May 3, 2023

HealthDay (5/3, Mann) reports, “Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls are, but girls may be more likely to experience anxiety alongside the disorder than boys,” researchers concluded in a study in which 112 children “with autism (89 boys and 23 girls) underwent brain scans when they were toddlers and at three other time points.” The study revealed that “overall, the girls had higher rates of anxiety than the boys, particularly in the presentations of anxiety that are distinct to autism, including fear of change,” as well as also having “higher rates of more traditional forms of anxiety, such as social anxiety, generalized anxiety and separation anxiety, the study showed.” The findings were presented at the International Society for Autism Research meeting.

Related Links:

— “Among Kids With Autism, Girls Are More Prone to Anxiety Disorders Than Boys “Denise Mann, HealthDay, May 3, 2023

Medscape (5/2, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports, “A large proportion of US adults who are prescribed Schedule II stimulants are simultaneously receiving other CNS agents including benzodiazepines, opioids, and antidepressants – a potentially dangerous practice,” researchers concluded after analyzing prescription medication “claims for over 9.1 million US adults over a one-year period.” The findings were published online April 24 in BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (5/2, Caron) reports, “Americans have become increasingly lonely and isolated, and this lack of social connection is having profound effects on our mental and physical health,” US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy “warned in an advisory” (PDF) issued on May 2.

The Washington Post (5/2, Nirappil) reports, “Loneliness presents a profound public health threat akin to smoking and obesity,” Murthy cautioned in the advisory “that aims to rally Americans to spend more time with each other in an increasingly divided and digital society.” He “said half of U.S. adults experience loneliness, which has consequences for mental and physical health, including a greater risk of depression, anxiety – and perhaps more surprisingly, heart disease, stroke and dementia.” The advisory “calls for a collective effort to ‘mend the social fabric of our nation,’ including teaching children how to build healthy relationships; talking more to relatives, friends and co-workers; and spending less time online and on social media if it comes at the expense of in-person interactions.”

According to the AP (5/2, Seitz), even though this “declaration is intended to raise awareness around loneliness,” it “won’t unlock federal funding or programming devoted to combatting the issue.”

Also covering the story are ABC News (5/2, Egan), The Hill (5/2, Sforza), and CNN (5/2, Dillinger)

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Medscape (5/2, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports, “A large proportion of US adults who are prescribed Schedule II stimulants are simultaneously receiving other CNS agents including benzodiazepines, opioids, and antidepressants – a potentially dangerous practice,” researchers concluded after analyzing prescription medication “claims for over 9.1 million US adults over a one-year period.” The findings were published online April 24 in BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (5/1, Richtel) reported, “Mental health-related visits to emergency” departments (EDs) “by children, teenagers and young adults soared from 2011 to 2020, according to” findings published online May 2 in JAMA. The study also revealed that “the sharpest increase was for suicide-related visits, which rose fivefold.” The research team arrived at these conclusions after using “data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey” to examine “the annual number of mental health-related” ED “visits by people six to 24 years old.”

Related Links:

— “Emergency Room Visits Have Risen Sharply for Young People in Mental Distress, Study Finds “Matt Richtel, The New York Times, May 1, 2023

CNN (5/1, LaMotte) reports, “Up to 60% of all stroke survivors develop memory and thinking problems within a year, and one-third go on to develop dementia within five years, according to” a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and published online ahead of print in the journal Stroke. Most “common within the first two weeks after a stroke,” cognitive impairment “may go hand in hand with other conditions associated with a stroke such as behavioral and personality changes, depression, physical disability and disruption in sleep, all of which can contribute to a lower quality of life.” Still, “about 20% of people who experience mild cognitive impairment after a stroke fully recover their cognitive function, typically within the first six months.”

Related Links:

— “Up to 60% of stroke survivors may develop cognitive decline within a year “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, May 1, 2023

NBC News (5/1, Edwards) reports, “Teenagers engaged in toxic, controlling dating relationships may be at risk for a variety of problems as they enter adulthood, including drug use, as well as mental and physical health struggles…research [suggests].” The study “also showed that such teens are likely to repeat patterns of unhealthy – potentially dangerous – intimate relationships.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Troubled teenage relationships can have lasting health consequences “Erika Edwards, NBC News , May 1, 2023

Psychiatric News (5/1) reports, “A meta-analysis” and systematic review of 53 “longitudinal studies of children and adolescents from 12 countries” and encompassing some 40,000 young people reveals that “symptoms of depression in youth around the world increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The findings were published online May 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Depression Symptoms in Youth Worsened During COVID-19 Pandemic, Meta-Analysis Finds, Psychiatric News, May 1, 2023

The Hill (5/1, Migdon) reports, “Close to a third of LGBTQ youth say laws and policies that target LGBTQ people have had a substantial and negative impact on their mental health over the past year, according to an annual report published…by The Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ youth suicide prevention group.” The report indicated that “nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people said their mental health is poor either ‘most of the time’ or ‘always’ because of policies and legislation that takes aim at their sexual orientation or gender identity.” The report “analyzed survey responses from more than 28,000 LGBTQ young people ages 13 to 24 across the U.S.”

Related Links:

— “More than 30 percent of LGBTQ youth attribute poor mental health to anti-LGBTQ laws “Brooke Migdon, The Hill , May 1, 2023